Working Men of the Railroad -- Atchison KS
N 39° 33.599 W 095° 07.637
15S E 317247 N 4381082
The sculpture "Working Men of the Railroad" stands tall and proud in front of the former Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad depot, now a local history museum and tourist center.
Waymark Code: WMGRAR
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 04/04/2013
Views: 5
The historic Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad depot at Atchison KS is a relic of the days when Atchison was a railhead for cattle, goods, and people making their way east or west.
The depot is a beautiful and impressive stone building with ATSF-red trim. The depot has been restored and is now home to the fascinating Atchison history museum.
Part of the museum's collection is this proud sculpture, "Working Men of the Railroad," sculpted by local artist Kwan Wu.
The man depicted in the sculpture is a "gandy dancer," responsible for pounding rail spikes into steel rails to build the railroad. He stands tall, holding his spike hammer at the ready. Wearing period clothing from the 1860s, and with a handlebar mustache common during that time, he seems to be looking out over the expansive landscape, soon to be bisected with the railroad he is helping build. His left foot rests on top of a steel rail. His right foot is planted in the ballast rock. He is dignified, solid, and resolute in his bearing -- the epitome of the character of the men who built the railroads that opened the West.
The plaque beneath the statue reads as follows:
"WORKING MEN OF THE RAILROADS
The backbreaking work building railroads to the West was accomplished by men, like Thomas W. Haverty from Galway Ireland. Wielding hammers and driving spikes, their labor united a country and made Atchison "The Rail Centre of Kansas" beginning with the first rail connections to the city in 1860.
Given by the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Southern May 10, 2008 on behalf of Chairman & CEO Michael R. Haverty in recognition of the KCS expansion into Mexico
Sculpture by Kwan Wu, Overland Park, Kansas"
From a press release announcing the statue's dedication: www.docstoc.com/docs/82392267/Media-Information
"Atchison, KS Statue Dedication & Railroad Heritage Celebration set for May 10th
Sponsored by the Santa Fe Depot Trustees & Kansas City Southern
Dedication of bronze railroad worker statue & dedication of plaza to the many railroad workers through Atchison’s history
Atchison will pay tribute to the working men who built the railroads across Kansas with a larger than life-size bronze statue and a day of activities and events for railroad fans of all ages on Saturday, May 10, 2008, including tours and an evening reception on the Southern Belle, the restored corporate train of the Kansas City Southern.
The bronze statue of a gandy dancer, or working man on the railroad, is dedicated to the great-grandfather of Kansas City Southern Chairman & CEO Michael Haverty, who began the family’s railroad heritage as a laborer on the railroad. The statue by Kwan Wu, internationally known sculptor from Overland Park, Kansas, depicts a gandy dancer ready to resume driving spikes in the building of the railroad.
. . . .
Michael Haverty became involved in the railroad working man statue project last year when he was visiting Benedictine College in Atchison and a conversation came up about the idea for a statue to honor the thousands of railroad workers who helped lay the tracks that connected East to West and the many who spent their working lives in Atchison, which was the early leader in railroads in early Kansas.
The statue will be located in front of the 1880 Atchison Santa Fe Depot, a freight depot used by the AT&SF until 1985, when it was donated to the City of Atchison and converted to use for the museum and chamber in 1989. The Depot today is home to the Atchison County Historical Society Museum, the Atchison Visitors Information Center and the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the last remaining building in Atchison of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad." [end]
Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Working Men of the Railroad
Figure Type: Human
Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Kwan Wu
Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 10 May 2008
Materials used: bronze on stone pedestal
Location: ATSF Depot Museum
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